A report by David Barboza of theNew York Times details how an apparently highly-placed whistleblower in GlaxoSmithKline's China operation sent the head office in London a series of long, well-written memos about illegal sales practices that directors, executives, and auditors chose to ignore.

The photo released by the Shanghai court shows Peter Humphrey (left) and his wife Yu Yingzeng (in red)The British investigator who once worked for GlaxoSmithKline was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail for trafficking personal data in China.

Press reports that GlaxoSmithKline fired employees of its China unit in 2001 for paying bribes to government officials could complicate the company's defense of current allegations about illegal sales practices in several countries.